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PostPosted: December 6, 2018, 10:39 am 
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@phil
That's a very heavy duty tube roller. I compared it to the Harbor Freight units on sale down here. The Princess Auto unit has the 2 bottom rollers driven and connected by a bicycle chain. The lighter weight Harbor Freight unit only drives the upper, adjustable roller.

Have you found the chain drive is necessary or preferable?

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: December 6, 2018, 11:53 am 
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Anytime I've seen a tube roller in a commercial shop, it has been the 2WD type. Take that for whatever it's worth!

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PostPosted: December 6, 2018, 6:31 pm 
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Lonnie - i have the HF one you mentioned in the initial post. I added the extensions etc from SWAG to make it better

http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Weld-On ... _p_50.html

http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Tubing- ... _p_51.html

I think i added $400 in upgrades to my $175 bender. I had used one with the swag stuff, though, and it really improves the quality/performance of it.

One trick to make matching parts, is to roll 1 piece twice as long, then cut it in 1/2. Should be obvious....but wasn't to me!


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PostPosted: December 6, 2018, 10:24 pm 
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Joined: June 5, 2016, 7:03 am
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Location: ontario
Lonnie-S wrote:
@phil
That's a very heavy duty tube roller. I compared it to the Harbor Freight units on sale down here. The Princess Auto unit has the 2 bottom rollers driven and connected by a bicycle chain. The lighter weight Harbor Freight unit only drives the upper, adjustable roller.

Have you found the chain drive is necessary or preferable?

Cheers,


Mine is the regular one roller drive like the HF above. What I meant was if I was going to build something like that I would try and build the chain driven type, In my experience the single drive roller (HF)tends to slip ealily on the tubes if low tension is applied , which sometimes is what you need. I would expect two driving rollers to have more traction. :)


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PostPosted: December 7, 2018, 12:12 am 
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phil wrote:
Lonnie-S wrote:
@phil
That's a very heavy duty tube roller. I compared it to the Harbor Freight units on sale down here. The Princess Auto unit has the 2 bottom rollers driven and connected by a bicycle chain. The lighter weight Harbor Freight unit only drives the upper, adjustable roller.
Have you found the chain drive is necessary or preferable?

Mine is the regular one roller drive like the HF above. What I meant was if I was going to build something like that I would try and build the chain driven type, In my experience the single drive roller (HF)tends to slip ealily on the tubes if low tension is applied , which sometimes is what you need. I would expect two driving rollers to have more traction. :)
Jerry H's let me use his HF tube roller to roll my hoops out of 1.5" OD x 16g. DOM tubing. In addition to the traction issues Phil mentioned, if you put too much pressure on via the top roller it can slip on the driving shaft causing other mechanical problems. YouTube has some suggested fixes.

Perhaps the HF unit could be converted to the two sprocket chaindrive Princess Auto configuration for modest cost. This would be preferable.

As for building one, like any tube bender its the dies that cost the big bucks.

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Cheers, Tom

My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."

Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52


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PostPosted: December 7, 2018, 6:38 pm 
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
Well, I'm part way on my decision. Beyond the immediate need I have with the rear body, I would like a way to bend tubes/pipes in sizes beside 3/4", which is what I'm using for the boot. I found this one mechanical bender that does 3/8", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8" , 1" with wall thicknesses from 0.03” to 0.078”. It's only $138.99 USD, no sales tax and shipping is free.

It's here ==> https://www.amazon.com/SHZOND-Bending-T ... ube+bender

I have seen some decent reviews of it plus some videos on YouTube. The results look pretty good. It's a Chinese tool sold by a couple of different companies. I got a shipping notice within 2 hours of ordering. It's due between 12/12 and 12/17, so it is probably drop shipped from China via FedEx, UPS or DHL.

That still leaves the gentle curves. I did get a 25%, "Friends and Family" discount coupon from Harbor Freight yesterday. That drops the cost of the simple, direct drive, HF tube roller to $138.74 plus tax. At that price, I have to think seriously about the value of my time used in building one. Right now I only need to do 3/4", 16 gauge tube, which should not be a challenge for the tool. On the other hand, Dave's method is super low cost, but there's no on-going use of a tool in other projects I like the idea of bending 1/2 and 1" too. That could be very useful for the scuttle build.

@ngpmike
Duly noted, Mike. Thank you.

@Sean in CT
Thanks for those tips. I did look at those SWAG videos on YouTube. So, the stock HF roller does have a future if you want to enhance it. I liked the electric drive they developed plus all the dies they have for the machine.

@phil
I viewed a couple of videos that show enhancements to the 2 standard set screws, which essentially introduce shear pins in their place. For larger tubes they look essential. With the electric drive SWAG developed, and shear pins (part of SWAG kit) it is pretty capable.

@seattletom
Funny you should mention bending DOM tubes, Tom. After seeing the SWAG enhancements on YouTube, my mind ran to the argument, "How much will I save if I can bend the DOM tube for my roll bar too?" I haven't priced a roll bar out yet, but I assume it will be a few hundred bucks.

I think there is a pretty good case for buying the HF tube roller and just using it "stock" for a while as 1/2", 3/4" and 1" tube is all I'll need to do for a while. I have until this Sunday to make up my mind as the coupon is only good until then.

Thanks for all the replies gents,

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: December 7, 2018, 7:59 pm 
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Lonnie-S wrote:
Funny you should mention bending DOM tubes, Tom. After seeing the SWAG enhancements on YouTube, my mind ran to the argument, "How much will I save if I can bend the DOM tube for my roll bar too?" I haven't priced a roll bar out yet, but I assume it will be a few hundred bucks.
Lonnie, you would probably have trouble forming the rollbar on the HF roller. I expect you would be looking for at least 1.5" x .095" DOM for the rollbar. Getting good, well spaced and planar 90* bends are probably beyond the HF roller's capacity, even with some improvements. A traditional tube bender would be my tool of choice.

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Cheers, Tom

My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."

Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52


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PostPosted: December 8, 2018, 11:05 am 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
@seattletom
Thanks, Tom, that's good to know.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: December 9, 2018, 8:10 pm 
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Location: Kamloops, BC, Canada
Lonnie-S wrote:
Well, I'm part way on my decision. Beyond the immediate need I have with the rear body, I would like a way to bend tubes/pipes in sizes beside 3/4", which is what I'm using for the boot. I found this one mechanical bender that does 3/8", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8" , 1" with wall thicknesses from 0.03” to 0.078”. It's only $138.99 USD, no sales tax and shipping is free.

It's here ==> https://www.amazon.com/SHZOND-Bending-T ... ube+bender

I have seen some decent reviews of it plus some videos on YouTube. The results look pretty good. It's a Chinese tool sold by a couple of different companies. I got a shipping notice within 2 hours of ordering. It's due between 12/12 and 12/17, so it is probably drop shipped from China via FedEx, UPS or DHL.

That still leaves the gentle curves. I did get a 25%, "Friends and Family" discount coupon from Harbor Freight yesterday. That drops the cost of the simple, direct drive, HF tube roller to $138.74 plus tax. At that price, I have to think seriously about the value of my time used in building one. Right now I only need to do 3/4", 16 gauge tube, which should not be a challenge for the tool. On the other hand, Dave's method is super low cost, but there's no on-going use of a tool in other projects I like the idea of bending 1/2 and 1" too. That could be very useful for the scuttle build.

@ngpmike
Duly noted, Mike. Thank you.

@Sean in CT
Thanks for those tips. I did look at those SWAG videos on YouTube. So, the stock HF roller does have a future if you want to enhance it. I liked the electric drive they developed plus all the dies they have for the machine.

@phil
I viewed a couple of videos that show enhancements to the 2 standard set screws, which essentially introduce shear pins in their place. For larger tubes they look essential. With the electric drive SWAG developed, and shear pins (part of SWAG kit) it is pretty capable.

@seattletom
Funny you should mention bending DOM tubes, Tom. After seeing the SWAG enhancements on YouTube, my mind ran to the argument, "How much will I save if I can bend the DOM tube for my roll bar too?" I haven't priced a roll bar out yet, but I assume it will be a few hundred bucks.

I think there is a pretty good case for buying the HF tube roller and just using it "stock" for a while as 1/2", 3/4" and 1" tube is all I'll need to do for a while. I have until this Sunday to make up my mind as the coupon is only good until then.

Thanks for all the replies gents,

Cheers,

That looks a lot like the bender I bought from princess auto this fall, but I haven't tried it yet. For your gentle curve you shouldn't need a bender at all. Just make a plywood form and bend it against that by hand. You'll have to make the radius of the plywood a bit smaller than where you want to end up because it will spring back a bit, and level the legs long to make it easier to bend. I do that all the time bending tube at work, except I'll use something like a propane tank for my form. Anything round and sturdy with the right radius will do. For the rear hoop I'd Mark the middle of a 10' length, make the 90's, then clamp the center section down and hand bend the legs going forward. If you've got a large round vessel of some sort you could probably just strap the tube to it at the first bends.
Kristian

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PostPosted: December 10, 2018, 12:00 pm 
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
@turbo_bird

Yes, that bender seems to be sold by a number of companies. Like a lot of these Chinese tools (lathes, mills, benders, etc.) they seem to be sold to, and re-branded by, just about every major reseller.

You are undoubtedly right on not needing a roller for the gentle curve. Sometimes the needs of a specific task will motivate me to buy a tool I know I'll want for future projects even though I can get by without it for now. Harbor Freight sends out these "Friends and Family" discount coupons each Christmas. I got mine the other day. The "Friends and Family" sale runs for 4 days and ended yesterday. It brings the cost of the roller down to what the bender cost me. It's so cheap that it destroys the logic of building my own because it would take me a couple of days to noodle one out and then build it.

I called my local HF store and they had three rollers in inventory. So, me, mama and the two sheep dogs loaded up in the truck to go up and get one. Very long story short, the manager had 3 people looking for the 3 rollers and none could be found on the floor, or in the storage area, or on the loading dock. Where did they go? It's a major mystery! They're nice folks and they will honor my coupon as soon as they can find the product.

It will actually be useful for some other sub-projects in a few weeks. Thanks for your suggestion though, Kristian.

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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